Current theorizing in the field of cognitive science embraces the concept that cognitive activity is not centered in the brain alone but is dependent on embodiment and the environment in which it is functioning. A key component of that environment is the presence of others. This article examines the social nature of cognitive activity from a 4E…

The parallels between cognitive development and creativity are neglected in the literature. Piaget's information transformations are personalized, meaning individual constructions can involve creativity. Vygotsky's work considers the implications and interactions of social influences, conventions, and personal implications for creative…

Developmental cognitive neuroscience studies tend to show that the prefrontal brain regions (known to be involved in inhibitory control) are activated during the generation of creative ideas. In the present article, we discuss how a dual-process model of creativity--much like the ones proposed to account for decision making and reasoning--could…

The twenty-first century is often described as an age of uncertainty and ambiguity with unprecedented challenges. Those with a creative mind-set however might call this millennium an age of wonder. New technologies and digital media are facilitating imagination and inventiveness. How are we innovating education? Are schools and classroom fostering…

Psychological science has much to contribute to enhancing teaching and learning in the classroom. Teaching and learning, in turn, are intricately linked to social and behavioral factors of human development, including cognition, motivation, social interaction, and communication. Psychological science also contributes to effective instruction;…

The role of the imagination in adult thinking is to go beyond reality and to express generalised laws. The researcher's job is to specify the cultural tools that preschool children use in the development of their imagination. Previous research has identified two main stages in the development of imagination up until the age of six, a third stage…

The purpose of this study is to examine children's cognition within the creative process in dance and to examine how dance making affects cognitive development in children. Data on children's thinking were gathered from fifth graders participating in an artist-in-residence program in a public school in Pennsylvania. Both the inquiry and the data…

Second article of a two-part series focuses on how results of research into learning, creativity, and thinking abilities can be applied to help the individual become more creative. (SL)

The author presents evidence that supports the argument for the validity of right brain-left brain theories. Discusses the brain's "sense of the future," what the brain does with new information, and altering the brain's ability to process change. A bibliography of further readings is included. (CT)

Discusses the principles of art and provides activities that correlate art and reading and promote cognitive and affective development. (HTH)

Teachers should provide more real experiences for children rather than vicarious ones, in order to allow children's cognitive structuring processes to develop.

Discusses the use and stimulation of lateral, or divergent, thinking to promote creativity. (SL)

Suggests that future pedagogy should search for methods to develop conscious thinking and to connect detailed learning with creative, utility-oriented human activities. Different pedagogical forms should be applied to a greater extent in universities and ordinary adult education. (JOW)

This article reviews the evidence on the relationship between the two brain hemispheres and creative cognitive processes. It concludes that claims about creativity being "in" one or the other hemispheres represent an uncritical acceptance of naive pseudoscientific beliefs about the brain and brain function. (DB)